Book Review: Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

About the Book:

Title: Accidentally Engaged

Author: Farah Heron

Page Length: 357

Publication Date: March 2, 2021

Publisher: Forever

Synopsis: Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall–with hopes that Reena will marry him.

But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.

As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

A fun and heartwarming contemporary romance, Accidentally Engaged follows Reena and Nadim as they become friends and fall in love. Reena is such a likable and relatable character, and I enjoyed her journey throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, her life is a bit of a mess. She has a job she doesn’t like, she’s single, and her family puts a lot of pressure on her, especially when it comes to her love life. Reena spends much of the book trying to juggle these family expectations, her own dreams and aspirations, and complicated relationships, which often prove difficult. Reena learns so much about herself, her relationships, and what she wants in life, and she works toward making these things happen. Fulfilling your dreams while still respecting her family’s hopes and dreams is definitely a delicate balance for Reena!

Nadim is fun and flirty and such a charmer, and he shares Reena’s love for cooking, which they bond over. Their relationship is fun and heart-warming and natural, and I love that they can totally be themselves when they’re together. They have such great chemistry, and their banter is fantastic. I also like that they help each other see what they want in life. I think the support they give each other, especially Nadim’s unequivocal support of Reena’s cooking passion, is wonderful. If you like friends-to-lovers, fake dating romances, then you’ll love the relationship between Reena and Nadim.

Another relationship that I found intriguing was the one between Reena and her sister. Theirs is a complicated relationship, as is the relationship between Reena and the rest of her family. They can be quite meddlesome and overbearing, and they often push Reena when she doesn’t need pushing or pressure. I can relate to this need to appease family while still holding on to your own wants and needs. It’s not always easy, and it’s definitely not fun, but I think Reena learns a lot about herself, her sister, and the rest of the family as she figures things out.

And the food! I love rom-coms that include food and cooking, and this book totally made me hungry! There are so many rich descriptions of delicious-sounding foods, and the author even included a few of these recipes at the end of the book. What I would do for a loaf of that bread!

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining romance that I would definitely recommend to readers of the genre. Between the romance, the great characters, the humor (so many laugh-out-loud moments!), and the yummy food, there’s a lot to love! Thanks so much to Forever for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Rating:

Favorite Parts:

The romance!

The sibling relationship.

The food!!

Favorite Lines:

Reena’s heart was safe. But she felt fine about their meddling. Truly. Friends who cared enough to meddle were hardly something to complain about.

You just need to find someone who makes you a chai when you were tired, and who rubbed your feet when they are sore instead of insisting you are wearing the wrong shoes.